U.S. patent number 4,937,181 [Application Number 07/420,933] was granted by the patent office on 1990-06-26 for educational display system.
Invention is credited to John Rogers.
United States Patent |
4,937,181 |
Rogers |
June 26, 1990 |
Educational display system
Abstract
An educational visual display system for teaching geography in
which objects having some geographical or topographical
significance, e.g., states of the Union, may be detachably affixed
and arranged to demonstrate relationship between the objects. The
preferred system includes (1) a primary background surface of iron
velvet fabric material to which hook type fasteners may be
detachably adhered, (2) a plurality of primary objects having
geographical significance and comprising a soft foam core with a
layer of iron velvet fabric on one side and a plurality of hook
type fasteners on the other side, the primary objects being
arrangeable to represent in combination a larger geographical unit,
and (3) a plurality of secondary objects each having geographical
or topographical significance and having hook type fasteners on one
side thereof for being detachably affixable to the layer of iron
velvet fabric of the primary objects. The iron velvet fabric and
the hook type fasteners function as an attachment pair similar to
hook and loop fasteners sold under the tradename VELCRO.RTM..
Inventors: |
Rogers; John (Corona del Mar,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
23668454 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/420,933 |
Filed: |
October 13, 1989 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
434/150;
273/157R; 273/DIG.30; 428/100; 434/130; 434/151; 434/152; 434/406;
446/901 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09B
1/06 (20130101); G09B 25/06 (20130101); Y10S
273/30 (20130101); Y10S 446/901 (20130101); Y10T
428/24017 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
G09B
1/00 (20060101); G09B 25/00 (20060101); G09B
1/06 (20060101); G09B 25/06 (20060101); G09B
025/06 (); G09B 019/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;434/130,150,151,152,284,406,428,430 ;273/157R,260,DIG.30
;446/901,85,108,111 ;40/904,600 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Apley; Richard J.
Assistant Examiner: Doyle; J. L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lyon & Lyon
Claims
I claim:
1. An educational, manipulatable display system for use in teaching
geography, comprising:
a background surface comprising a material which forms one
component of a first two component hook and loop fastener
system;
a plurality of primary objects having different but interrelatable
configurations having geographical significance, each of said
primary objects being constructed of a soft foam core and having a
first surface comprising a material which forms one component of a
second hook and loop fastener system and a second surface
comprising material which forms the other component of said first
two component hook and loop fastener system whereby said primary
objects can be adhered to said background surface to form an
arrangement having geographical significance; and
at least one secondary object having topographical or geographical
significance, said secondary object having a surface including the
other component of said second two component hook and loop fastener
system whereby said secondary object is detachably affixable to
said first surface of at least one of said primary objects so that
said arrangement can be provided with additional topographical or
geographical features.
2. The display system of claim 1 wherein there are provided a
plurality of said secondary objects, at least one of which
represents a topographical feature such as a mountain or a
river.
3. The display system of claim 1 wherein said primary objects
represent geographical regions that can be arranged on said
background surface to form a larger geographical region.
4. The display system of claim 3 wherein said primary objects
represent states of the Union and said larger geographic region
represents the United States.
5. The display system of claim 1 wherein said core of each of said
primary objects is thick enough to provide it with a noticeable
three dimensional shape.
6. The display system of claim 1 wherein said detachably affixable
material comprises iron velvet fabric.
7. A teaching aid for displaying geographical and topographical
features, comprising:
a background surface of loop containing fabric mountable to a
support surface;
a plurality of primary objects of soft foam having a layer of loop
containing fabric on one side and a plurality of hook type
fasteners on the other side for being detachably adherable to the
background surface of loop containing fabric, each primary object
representing a secondary geographical unit, the primary objects
being arrangeable on the background surface to represent in
combination a primary geographical unit; and
a plurality of secondary objects having hook type fasteners on one
side thereof, each secondary object being detachably affixable to
said layer of loop containing fabric on said one side of the
primary object.
8. A system according to claim 7 wherein the primary objects
represent regions which are arrangeable to represent a country.
9. A system according to claim 7 wherein the secondary objects are
constructed from soft foam having three dimensional shape to
represent topographical or geographical features.
10. A system according to claim 9 wherein the secondary objects
comprise representations selected from the group consisting of:
three dimensional shapes representing mountains, placards with
writing thereon, placards in the shape of bodies of water.
11. An educational, manipulatable display system for use in
teaching geography, comprising:
a background surface comprising a iron velvet material;
a plurality of primary objects having different but interrelatable
configurations having geographical significance, each of said
primary objects being constructed of a soft foam core with a layer
of iron velvet on one side and hook fasteners on the other side
whereby said primary objects can be adhered to said background
surface to form an arrangement having geographical significance;
and
at least one secondary object having topographical or geographical
significance, said secondary object having hook fasteners on one
side thereof whereby said secondary object is detachably affixable
to said iron velvet layer of at least one of said primary objects
so that said arrangement can be provided with additional
topographical or geographical features.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The field of the present invention relates to a visual display
system and more particularly to such a system for use in teaching
geography in which objects having geographic or topographical
significance easily can be arranged on a suitable background so
that their individual size and shape, and their relationship to
each other, can be demonstrated in a manner that promotes memory of
them.
The study of geography requires a large amount of information to be
conveyed to and absorbed by the students. Current surveys indicate
that the average student in the United States does not have a
strong grasp on the geography of even the locality in which he
resides, let alone the country as a whole or the world. One reason
is that the typical teaching tools bombard students with
information. The most common display devices used for teaching
geography are maps, globes or drawings of individual geographic
regions such as states in the Union. While maps and the like convey
accurate information, they present it in such a mass format that it
is difficult for students to absorb, particularly with respect to
the relationship of different geographic areas and the location of
cities, rivers or topographical features within those areas.
Moreover, maps and the like are not interactive with the students
and require considerable concentration and memory power rather than
an easy association of places and things with easily identifiable
physical objects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a visual display system for
teaching geography in which three dimensional objects formed to be
representative of geographical regions, such as individual states
and the like, may be detachably affixed to a suitable background
and arranged to demonstrate the relationship between the objects. A
second set of objects representing geographical features such as
the name of states or cities, or topographical features such as
mountains, lakes or rivers, are also provided, this second set of
objects being detachably affixed to the first objects so that a
three dimensional display of a geographical area complete with
place names and topography can be assembled and displayed. The
display system of the present invention, having multiple layers
with their interrelated configurations, displays a large amount of
information in a way that can be readily assimilated by a student.
The student can grasp, for example, the interrelation between the
states, and the way in which they fit together to form the United
States, while simultaneously viewing the location of other
important geographical and topographical features.
A preferred embodiment includes a background surface of iron velvet
fabric material to which hook type fasteners may be detachably
adhered, a plurality of primary objects with a soft foam core
having a layer of iron velvet fabric on one side and a plurality of
hook type fasteners on the other side for adhering to the
background surface to allow the primary objects to be arrange on
the background surface, and at least one secondary object having
hook type fasteners on one side thereof for being detachably
affixable to the layer of iron velvet fabric of the primary
object.
In a preferred application, a background surface of iron velvet
fabric is hung on a wall and plurality of primary objects formed in
the shape of geographical regions such as states are arranged on
the background surface to form a larger geographic area such as a
country. Each primary object is constructed from soft foam having
hook type fasteners on one side and a layer of iron velvet fabric
on the other side. Finally, secondary objects such as placards
showing region or city names, cutouts of bodies of water, and three
dimensional objects such as a mountain ranges may be positioned on
the layer of iron velvet surface on the various sections, each of
the objects having hook type fasteners on one side thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front plan view illustrating a map of the United States
according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of a portion of the map of
FIG. 1 with the State of Utah removed;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the State of Utah
illustrating construction details; and
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the State of Utah in
assembled condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention will now be described with respect to the
drawings. For ease of description, a numeral defining an element in
one figure will represent the same element in any other figure.
FIG. 1 is a front plan view of a visual display system 10 comprised
of a primary surface or background 20 of iron velvet fabric which
the instructor may hang on a wall in order to implement the system.
For typical classroom use, the background surface 20 has a
rectangular shape with dimensions of approximately 7 ft by 5 ft
(2.1 m by 1.5 m). The background surface 20 has a grid pattern 21
imposed thereon which provides a spatial pattern to format
respective relationships for objects to be placed thereon.
Placed on the background surface 20 are a plurality of primary
objects 30 with each primary object 30 representing a particular
geographical region namely a state of the Union. The primary
objects 30 are then arranged geographically to represent a larger
geographical unit, namely the United States.
FIGS. 2-4 illustrate construction details of the display system 10.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the Southwest portion of the United
States with the State of Utah 32 displaced to illustrate internal
details. Secondary objects, such as mountain range 40, having for
example geographical or topographical significance, may then be
affixed to the front surface of the primary objects 30.
The primary object 32 representing the State of Utah is comprised
of a foam core piece 34 having a layer of iron velvet fabric 36 on
one side thereof and a plurality of hook type fastener pieces 38 on
the other side thereof. The soft foam section 34 is approximately
one inch thick and is cut in a desired shape to represent the shape
of the State of Utah. The background surface 20 is comprised of a
stiff support surface 22 having a layer of iron velvet fabric 24
mounted thereon to which the hook type fasteners 38 on the bottom
of the primary objects 30 may be detachably adhered. Optionally the
background surface 20 may be merely hung up on a wall without the
support surface 22.
Finally a plurality of secondary, representational objects such as
mountains 40, bodies of water 50, or a written placard 52 may be
added. The mountain 40 or some other three dimensional object may
be constructed from a soft foam piece 42 to illustrate contour
and/or other three dimensional characteristics. A plurality of hook
type fasteners 44 are attached to the bottom of the foam piece 42
to permit the mountain 40 to be detachably affixed to the layer of
iron velvet fabric 36. Alternately other flat, two dimensional
physical representations such as the lake 50 having a surface 52
with one side, for example, having the color blue to represent
water, and the other side having a plurality of hook type fasteners
attached thereto. The lake 50 may then be detachably affixed to the
iron velvet fabric 36. Other items may also be affixed to either
section 32 (such as placard 54 in FIG. 3) or the primary surface 20
(such as placard 56 in FIG. 1), the items having the same
construction as the lake object 50, the item having, for example,
the region's name printed thereon.
The preferred interconnecting means between the various components
is a two component hook and loop fastener system sold under the
tradename VELCRO.RTM.. Alternately, since it is a two component
fastening system, the positions of the individual hook and loop
components may be reversed for example having the main background
surface 24 comprised of hook type fastener material. The preferred
background material is iron velvet fabric which simulates and has
the same qualities as loop type fastener which detachable adheres
to the hook type fastener material. It is preferred to have the
large connecting surfaces, namely the background surface 24 and the
layer 36, comprised of iron velvet material as it is less
attractive to debris or the like.
Iron velvet fabric is available in a variety of colors. It is a
nylon fabric with a polyester foam core. It is available from
fabric suppliers including Morgan Fabrics in Los Angeles, Calif.
under the tradename TEMPO.
The described display system 10 includes multiple layers with each
layer having sections or objects which are representational in
nature and which can be easily manipulatable by either a teacher or
a student. The preferred embodiment illustrates how readily a layer
of primary objects representing states may be applied to a
background surface (i.e., the first layer) with a third layer of
secondary objects such as lakes, placards, or three dimensional
mountains may be applied to the primary objects. Other objects may
of course to applied to the background surface to provide further
visual representation.
Thus a visual display system which is particularly useful as an
educational aid has been shown and described. Though certain
examples and advantages have been described, further advantages and
modifications may become obvious to one skilled in the art from the
disclosures herein. The invention therefore is not to be limited
except in the spirit of the claims that follow.
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